VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State volleyball team goes back on the road this week, as they travel to Orlando, Fla. for the Gulf South Conference and Sunshine State Conference Crossover Tournament. Eckerd College will be the first opponent as the Blazers will face the Tritons late Friday afternoon at 4:45 p.m. Then on Saturday, VSU plays Rollins College at 2:30 p.m. before closing out the tournament with a match against Lynn University at 7 p.m. that evening.
 
All matches in the tournament will be streamed live through BallerTV with a paid subscription as tickets, live stats and a full schedule of the event are listed on the tournament central webpage.
 
VSU (15-6, 7-2 GSC) had an excellent two-game stretch at The Complex last weekend. Coming off of two conference wins the weekend prior, the Blazers returned home to host the white-hot Choctaws of Mississippi College on Friday night. The matchup with the Choctaws proved to be a battle as the match went five total sets with the Blazers emerging victorious, clutching the fifth set to take the hard-fought win, 3-2. In a quick turnaround, VSU hosted West Alabama on Saturday afternoon for youth day at The Complex. The Blazers handled the Tigers in swift fashion, sweeping UWA in three quick sets, 3-0.
 
For the weekend, junior Jojo Smith led the Blazers in kills with 26 while junior Mackenzie Murray tallied 23 and junior Christina Pettigrew tacked on 16. Junior Audrey Bennett had 80 assists for the weekend, recording a season-best 51 against the Choctaws. Sophomore Katie Callenberger led VSU in blocks over the two-game stretch with a total of six blocks and one solo rejection while Junior Kaia Baker had 31 total digs starting at libero. Graduate student Mallory Roney also had four service aces for the weekend.
 
For the season, the Blazers are 10^th nationally and first in the GSC in total attacks (3,079), while the team is fifth nationally and first in the league in total blocks with 180.5. VSU is also first in the conference in kills for 29^th nationally (1,025). Valdosta State also ranks 23rd nationally and first in the conference in attacks per set, averaging 38.01 attacks a set. VSU is 20^th nationally in digs for first in the GSC (1,348), while the team ranks first in the league in total assists (910).
 
Individually, Pettigrew is 15^th nationally and first in the GSC in total blocks with 84 and is fifth in the GSC in points per set at a 3.39 clip. Murray is third in the GSC in total kills (235), while also ranking fourth in the conference in total attacks with 636. Roney is second in the league and 13^th nationally in-service aces (43) while also being third in the GSC in aces per set (0.53). Meanwhile, Bennett is third in the conference in assists with 594 assists for the year.
 
Eckerd enters the week with a 15-3 record and an 8-3 stint in the SSC for second overall in conference standings. The Tritons recently defeated league foes, Barry and Lynn University at home last weekend, only dropping one set over seven sets total. EC is currently riding high on a five-game winning streak, winning eight of its last 10. Much of the Eckerd's success looks to come from offensive production as five total Tritons have kills over the 100 mark, led by Stella Antypa with 178 kills. Eckerd holds the all-time record over the Blazers, winning 14 of the last 16 with the Tritons taking the last matchup in Valdosta, 3-0 on Sept. 10, 2021.
 
Rollins comes into the crossover with 10-9 record with a 5-6 mark in the SSC. The Tars recently went 1-1 on the road, defeating Palm Beach Atlantic 3-0 on Friday before dropping a 3-0 decision to Nova Southeastern on Saturday. Rollins is led by Lana Gerard and Jadyn Troutman who have a combined 457 kills, accounting for over half of the Tars' 859 total kills. Rollins holds a 12-4 all-time record against VSU, defeating the Blazers just last season in the crossover, 3-2. Prior to taking on VSU on Saturday, the Tars are set to take on West Georgia and Montevallo in the crossover.
 
The Fighting Knights of Lynn enter the crossover 13-6 and 7-4 in the SSC for third in the conference standings. The Fighting Knights recently went 1-1 last weekend, falling to Eckerd 3-1 on Friday evening before defeating Saint Leo 3-0 on Saturday afternoon. Much like Eckerd, Lynn looks to pride itself on offensive production as five Fighting Knights have kills over the 100 mark, led by Aline Olegario with 198. In the last matchup, Lynn defeated VSU 3-1 in the 2021 regional crossover as the Fighting Knights hold an 8-3 all-time record against the Blazers. Before taking on Valdosta State, Lynn must first square off with Alabama Huntsville and West Georgia in the crossover.
 
Following the regional crossover, the Blazers return home on Wednesday, Oct. 25 to host Auburn Montgomery at 6 p.m. at The Complex. For more information on all things Valdosta State volleyball, visit vstateblazers.com.